More Jawbone fitness trackers return to online Apple Store with UP2

In March Apple removed all Jawbone trackers from its stores except for a low-end clip-on model, the UP Move. The UP2 is a mid-tier wristband device, costing $100. Still missing is the higher-end UP3 wristband, which like the UP2 first shipped to the U.S. in April. Later this summer Jawbone will be launching the UP4, capable of making NFC-based retail payments using American Express.

The return of more Jawbone products was signalled earlier this month by a senior product manager, who said that Japanese Apple Stores would get the UP2 by early July, and that other regions — including the U.S. — would get it even sooner. The executive also said that the UP3 would follow, but without offering a specific timeline.

The gap could simply be connected to the company trying to clear out older models. Some have speculated though that Apple removed Jawbone's products because they posed a threat to the Apple Watch, which has some basic fitness tracking functions and shipped April 24.

A number of other trackers have also disappeared from Apple's stores in recent months, most notably Fitbit products, which went missing from the online store last November. That disappearance is believed to be linked to Fitbit's decision not to support Apple's HealthKit platform, unlike Jawbone. Some Fitbit devices, such as the Surge, do provide watch functions.